Busch Gardens submits plans to build their tallest attraction ever

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – It appears as though Busch Gardens may have a new attraction in the works — a very tall one!

(James City County – Busch Gardens Proposed Waiver)

Busch Gardens submitted a waiver to James City County requesting to construct an attraction that reaches 315-feet-tall. The county requires the submission of a waiver for any structure over 60-feet.

When complete, the attraction will be the tallest at Busch Gardens, towering 55 feet over the current-tallest attraction, Mach Tower, which reaches 260 feet.

While the description of the new attraction is vague, there are some clues as to what it may be.

The framework is described as an “open, lattice-type structure,” which alludes to the framework of a roller coaster.

The new attraction will be located in a section of the park that is currently undeveloped. It’s just past the park’s Festa Train Station and currently serves as a holding area for some of the park’s animals.

The new attraction is labeled as “Busch Gardens Madrid,” and since “Madrid” is not one of the park’s current European city-themed areas, this may also allude to an entirely new area of the park — the first since the addition of Killarney, Ireland in 2001.

The James City County Board of Supervisors approved the height limitation waiver at their meeting on August 8. All members voted in favor of the waiver and some hoped for the possibility of indoor attractions for the future.